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The various chat rooms of digital listening lounge Turntable.fm will play host to several dozen musical guests throughout the month of December. Each weekday, a different artists will be on hand to chat and play tunes with fans in one of the site’s rooms. A tentative schedule has been announced, along with the lineup listed in the picture above (click on the image to view full-size). The lineup is eclectic, with appearances planned from everyone from Work Drugs to Umphrey’s McGee. An unlimited number of users will be able to listen and observe, however only the first 200 fans to enter the room will be able to chat directly with the band.

The experiment is the first for the social music platform. Turntable.fm unveiled a suite of updates last month. Billy Chasen, the site’s CEO and co-founder, told Mashable that the updates were designed to allow the rooms to host much larger volumes of users. Obviously these updates were necessary to accommodate the type of response that the site is hoping to see from initiatives like the winter festival.

The start-up has experienced its share of ups and downs since its launch last year. Turntable wowed the tech community by attracting 140,000 users in its first month and 400,000 after two. Since then, interest has waned. Chasen now claims a user base of more than 1.2 million with hopes that opportunities to reach large digital audiences will pay dividends in the future.

As is readily apparent, we are vinyl enthusiasts around these parts. As such, we’re excited about the annual Record Store Day 2.0, held as part of the retail behemoth Black Friday. Fighting off bloodthirsty mothers in search of 2012’s hot holiday toy may serve as an excellent exercise in shedding Turkey-day calories, but it proves dangerous and ill-advised. Instead, we recommend a stroll to the nearest record store for a friendlier Black Friday shopping experience. The holiday is marked by a slew of special, limited-edition releases that are sure to brighten any bookcase. Below, we’ve highlighted five can’t miss Black Friday exclusives.

Nirvana – Incesticide: 20th Anniversary Edition

Nirvana’s 1992 compilation release of demos, cover songs and radio performances has received a full remastering in honor of the album’s 20th anniversary. Incesticide is available on 180 gram vinyl at 45 RPM for the first time ever. The release features the Kurt Cobain’s artwork with lyric sheet art housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve. Gold foiled, stamped and individually numbered. Watch a video for the album’s lone single, “Sliver” below.

Miles Davis – Miles Ahead

Miles Davis’s 1957 release Miles Ahead came on the back of his groundbreaking Birth of the Cool sessions, and represented the artist’s first foray into orchestral jazz in collaboration with legendary jazz pianist, arranger and composer Gil Evans. The duo would go on to record a string of veritable masterpieces for Columbia in the form of Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain and Quiet Nights. Listen to where the relationship drew its first breaths on 180 gram vinyl recorded in MONO. Both Porgy & Bess and Sketches of Spain are also receiving Black Friday reissue treatment.

The Velvet Underground & Nico – Scepter Studios Acetate

These rare 1966 recordings feature early, alternate versions of what would later comprise the legendary debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. The sessions were recorded at Scepter Studios, housed within the warehouse space that would later play home to Studio 54. The album is available on limited edition, 180 gram vinyl, gold foil stamped and individually numbered.

Joe Strummer & The Mescalaros – Live at Action Town Hall

These recordings come from a 2002 live performance by the legendary Clash frontman and his backing band The Mescalaros. The concert – held as a benefit for striking firefighters – is notorious among Clash aficionados, as it featured Strummer on stage with former bandmate Mick Jones for the first time in nearly 20 years. By this time, Strummer’s musical tastes had ventured far from the Englishman’s punk rock roots, influenced heavily by the Afrobeat rhythms, jam bands and electronic music that had risen to prominence around the turn of the century.

Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills

Cheap Thrills was the sophomore LP from Bay Area psych-blues outfit Big Brother & The Holding Company and the band’s last with Janis Joplin as lead singer. In 1968, the album rose to number one on the Billboard pop charts, where it sat for eight weeks. The track listing features several of the songs that would define Joplin’s career, including “Ball and Chain”and “Piece of My Heart.” The album’s cover art was illustrated by legendary underground cartoonist Robert Crumb. Listen on 180 gram vinyl, recorded in MONO.

This Friday marks the 11th annual Tonic Ball in Indianapolis’ Fountain Square. The event showcases nearly 50 local and regional acts at three separate venues. Each year, the Tonic committee selects three acts whose material performers are asked to cover any way they see fit. This year’s event will feature the music of U2, Stevie Wonder and quintessential British invaders The Kinks.

All proceeds from the event help to fund local hunger-relief organization Second Helpings. The evening kicks off with a visual art exhibition at New Day Meadery at 5 PM. Music is scheduled to begin around 8. Check out the full slate of musical performers below. Tickets are $25: purchase online, by telephone (317-632-2664), or in-person at LUNA Music. The event typically sells out, so don’t sleep on an opportunity for a fantastic evening in support of a worthy cause.

About

Thought on Tracks is a forum for musical thought and discussion. The blog will focus primarily on Indiana artists, record labels and performances. The content consists of album reviews, concert reviews, music videos and much more. We are based out of Indianapolis but have a few writers contributing form afar. We hope that you will take an active interest in the pieces we publish and are always happy to hear feedback–positive or negative. Thank you for finding us, we hope that you will stay a while.